The Problem With Toothpaste

Toothpaste is one of the most frequently-used products in our daily lives. Almost everyone uses it twice a day, every day, and yet, we hardly think about what’s in it.

We’ve become ingredient-savvy when it comes to skincare and haircare. We’ll talk about retinols, ceramides, vitamin C, hyaluronic acid. But with toothpaste? Most people don’t even know what makes it work.

There’s a reason for that.

Toothpaste hasn’t really changed much in decades. A small handful of large companies have dominated the market, and their focus has been on mass production, marketing spin, and minimising cost — not making better toothpaste. The result: products designed more for shelf space than for science.

New launches often just mean a different flavour, a sparkly texture, or a slightly tweaked box. And when most formulas are basically the same, it’s no wonder many dentists (and shoppers) feel like all toothpaste is the same.

That’s what we wanted to change.

What Should Toothpaste Actually Do?

Before looking at how we created something better, it's worth stepping back and asking the obvious question: what’s the point of toothpaste?

Toothpaste is not just about fresh breath or whitening. A good toothpaste really needs to do three things well, and ideally, do them without messing anything else up along the way.

Remineralise Your Teeth

Every day, your enamel (the hard outer layer of your teeth) loses minerals (called demineralisation). This happens naturally, as bad bacteria feed off the sugars in our everyday diets. The effect becomes even worse after eating or drinking something acidic. Left unchecked, this process weakens the enamel and can lead to cavities, sensitivity, yellowing, and erosion.

Toothpaste helps fight this by encouraging remineralisation (rebuilding and reinforcing the enamel layer).

For over a century, fluoride has been the gold standard for this. It’s well-studied and it works by helping your saliva redeposit minerals onto the enamel surface.

But fluoride has one key limitation: toxicity at high concentrations. That’s why toothpaste with fluoride is capped at 1450ppm (1.45 percent), and why children’s toothpaste often contains much less.

This is where hydroxyapatite, or HAP, becomes interesting. It’s the same mineral your teeth are made of, and it’s non-toxic, even at much higher concentrations. That means we can use more of it, and that opens the door to real innovation. More on that later.

Clean Away Plaque

Throughout the day, a sticky layer of bacteria (called plaque or biofilm) builds up on your teeth. If it isn’t properly removed, it hardens into tartar and leads to decay and gum disease.

Toothpaste helps here in two ways:

• Abrasives, to gently polish teeth — helping remove plaque as well as surface-level stains.
• Surfactants, which help loosen and wash away debris, while spreading the toothpaste evenly around your mouth. Contrary to common belief, they can provide more than just that foamy feeling we're used to, actually aiding in the removal of plaque, as well as preventing it's regrowth.

But not all abrasives or surfactants are created equal. Use the wrong ones (too harsh, too foamy, too gritty) and you can wear down enamel or irritate your gums. So it’s a balancing act.

Keep Breath Fresh and the Mouth Healthy

Bad breath isn’t just a social problem. It can be a sign of deeper oral health issues. The usual culprits are things called volatile sulphur compounds (or VSCs for short), which are released by bacteria breaking down food particles or proteins.

The traditional approach has been to kill off as much bacteria as possible. But we now know that’s not ideal. Your mouth is home to a delicate microbiome (a mix of good and bad bacteria). If you wipe everything out indiscriminately, the bad actors often come back stronger.

There’s growing evidence that your oral microbiome may even influence your overall health, with potential links to heart disease, diabetes, and more. So modern oral care is about finding a smarter way to manage bacteria: reduce the harmful ones while supporting the beneficial ones.

How We Built Nura — From The Ground Up

We designed a formula from the ground up, for people like us who demand the best. We obsessed over ingredients, quality, and about the science behind each choice, over cost-cutting, marketing spin, or short-lived gimmicks. This is how we created Nura.

We designed a formula from the ground up, for people like us who demand the best.

Nura's partner team at The University of Milan, during the product's development in 2024.

Remineralisation – Powered by 12% HAP

We set out with the goal to repair teeth above and beyond what was possible with fluoride. That's where the opportunity with HAP comes in. Nura is powered by 12% HAP, in two complementary forms — something no other brand offers.

Why so much? Because concentration matters.

Dating back to the 2000s, studies have shown the effectiveness of HAP in repairing enamel - crucially when used at concentrations of 10% and above. Despite this, the few brands who have launched toothpastes with HAP have typically used it at concentrations of less than 2% in an effort to cut costs whilst still being able to name it as an ingredient.

We chose 12% because it’s the point at which you get both deep repair and strong surface protection, without compromising the texture or usability of the toothpaste.

Here’s how we break it down:

7% Nano-Hydroxyapatite

Nano-HAP has tiny, rod-shaped particles that can penetrate deep into damaged enamel. They bind to the natural crystalline tooth structures, helping rebuild weak areas of enamel and physically block exposed dentin tubules (which cause sensitivity).

We use the only nano-HAP approved by European regulators — a pharmaceutical-grade ingredient manufactured in Europe and validated by the SCCS after a decade of safety assessment. We also went through the full process required by UK regulators for use of approved nano-particles, a process which takes over six months. 

5% Biomimetic Micro-Hydroxyapatite

This is HAP designed to look and behave more like the enamel in your actual teeth. It’s what's called "calcium-deficient", and infused with trace elements like sodium and magnesium — making it more biocompatible and effective at bonding with the enamel surface.

It fills in larger lesions in the tooth surface, and creates a white, protective outer layer that continues to release minerals throughout the day — especially when exposed to attacks from acid.

The Synergy:

In our research with the University of Milan, we observed how these two forms of HAP worked synergistically. Nano-HAP provides deep, structural repair, increasing the toughness of enamel, whilst micro-HAP reinforces the surface and increases hardness. Furthermore, when combined, they provide a wider range of coverage across pH, with some HAP acting 'sacrificially', with other HAP designed to provide more stability and protection at acidic pH levels. 

Together, they rebuild, whiten, and protect enamel in a way we hadn’t seen before, over 2x more effective than fluoride. The added benefit? A significant anti-sensitivity effect, from physically sealing dentin tubules.

Cleaning — Gentle, but Effective.

Some toothpastes whiten by scraping away the top layer of enamel. It might make your teeth look whiter short-term, but it thins the enamel over time — which makes teeth more sensitive and actually more yellow (because the yellow dentin underneath shows through).

We took a different approach.

We use low-abrasivity silicas that polish the surface without damaging it. When paired with high-concentration HAP, this helps whiten teeth naturally over time — not by removing enamel, but by rebuilding and smoothing it.

For our surfactant, we chose sodium lauroyl sarcosinate — a gentle, sulfate-free cleanser. It cleans well, spreads nicely in the mouth, and is less harsh than traditional SLS. 

Studies have also demonstrated it's role in helping prevent the re-growth of biofilm on teeth.

This is an area where we’re continuing to innovate. We’re always trialling new surfactants and delivery systems to find the sweet spot between effective cleaning and being gentle on the mouth.

Fresh Breath, Balanced Microbiome

We use a smart three-part system to fight bad breath and support a healthy oral microbiome:

• Zinc Citrate – Binds to and neutralises the VSCs we talked about earlier, as well as reducing the levels of bad bacteria in the mouth. 
• Mint essential oils – Provide a natural, fresh feel, whilst also working as gentle antibacterials. 
• Prebiotics – Including xylitol (in both our toothpaste and mouthwash), plus tagatose and inulin (in the mouthwash only). These feed beneficial bacteria and help them outcompete harmful ones.

This combination doesn’t just mask odour — it’s designed to create a more balanced environment where good bacteria thrive and bad ones are kept in check.

A Science-First Approach — Now and Always

We’re proud of the work we’ve done in partnership with the University of Milan. The kind of critical testing, evaluation and iteration we did is rare in this industry, not because it’s hard to do, but because most brands don’t want to.

Testing your claims means being ready to hear the results, good or bad. But if you’re confident in your ingredients and committed to making the best product possible, it’s the only way forward.

At Nura, that’s our philosophy. We’ll keep improving, keep innovating, and keep putting science first.

Because your teeth deserve more than just a shiny box and a marketing slogan.

They deserve the best toothpaste in the world.